Inside the Chevy 409 V8

Inside the Chevy 409 V8:
https://macsmotorcitygarage.com/inside-the-chevy-409-v8/
"The 409 story actually starts here, with the 348 cubic-inch W-Series V8 introduced for 1958. Chevrolet product planners recognized that domestic passenger cars were rapidly growing in size and weight, topping two tons, and feared that the small but mighty 283 CID V8 would soon be insufficient. Experimental X and Y-Series engines, essentially scaled-up versions of the small-block V8, were tried before the Chevrolet engineering team, led by John Rausch, Howard H. Kehrl, and Donald H. McPherson, determined that an all-new engine was the preferred course.
The name for the W-Series V8 is easy to remember due to the distinctive valve cover shape, which resembles the letter W, sort of. Goals for the new V8 included low manufacturing cost and a compact footprint so it could fit in the same vehicle applications as the small-block. Mission accomplished, as the W-Series arrived only 2.70 inches wider and 1.78 inches longer than the existing V8."
"Of course, the trademark feature of the W-Series V8 was its distinctive combustion chamber design. In place of a conventional bowl-type chamber in the cylinder head. The block deck was milled at 74-degree angle (16 degrees from perpendicular) to form an oval, wedge-shaped chamber in the top of the cylinder itself. While unusual, this design was not quite unique. Ford Motor Co. also used this configuration on its MEL V8 engine family of 1958-1967, and it was found on some industrial engines in America and Europe.
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Compression ratio for the original 348 CID version of 1958 was set at 9.5:1, while the 409 CID V8 sported a CR of 11.25:1 when it launched in 1961."
"The big news for Chevy performance enthusiasts arrived midway through the 1961 model year with the introduction of the mighty 409 CID V8. The larger displacement was achieved with an increase in both bore and stroke to 4.312 inches by 3.50 inches, yielding exactly 408.89 cubic inches. The main and rod journal diameters and other features are the same as the 348, but the 409 crankshaft will not fit in a stock 348 block due to its larger counterweights."
"The 409 enjoyed widespread availability for the first time—and truly got on the map—with the 409-horsepower version introduced for 1962. This was no doubt the version of the engine the Beach Boys were singing about in their 1962 hit song, 409. Sporting big-valve heads and a dual-quad intake manifold with a pair of Carter AFB D-Series carburetors, the engine quickly became top dog at the drag strips and drive-ins of the time ... "